‘Happy Days' Star Explains Why He's Still Working 50 Years After No. 1 Hit Show
In 1976, Happy Days was the number one hit show on television. Starring Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Anson Williams, Don Most, Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, and more, the series attracted more than 50 million viewers per week at the height of its popularity in the mid-1970s.
At the center of the hoopla was Winkler, whose Fonzie character appeared on posters, t-shirts, lunchboxes, and even as an action figure.
Fifty years after his Happy Days fame, Winkler is still working-and hasn't even thought about retirement at all.
"It never occurred to me [to retire] because I am so happy in my house with [my wife] Stacey and our children and our grandchildren, and I am so happy when I am working," Winkler, 80, told People magazine in an April 2026 interview. "When I'm doing what I dreamed of doing, and I still get to do it. I still get to be at the table. That is an amazement to me. I am not kidding. I don't take it for granted. I go, 'Oh my God, this is just wonderful.'"
Winkler is grateful for his long career
Following his success on Happy Days, Winkler was typecast for a bit. In an interview with AARP, he shared, "I never resented the Fonz. He put a roof over my head. But after Happy Days, I struggled with being locked out of opportunity. …I knew it was necessary to figure out something else because I was completely stymied. I couldn't just sit there. I had a family, and I am a doer."
He ultimately started his own production company and wrote children's books. The acting roles eventually came too. Winkler made a notorious return to television with roles on Arrested Development, Royal Pains, Parks and Recreation, and Barry, the latter of which earned him his very first Primetime Emmy Award for acting. Winkler is currently the host of Hazardous History on the History Channel.
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In a recent interview with USA Today, Winkler revealed he is still living out his childhood dream. "I was 8 years old, lying in my bed in Manhattan, dreaming about being an actor, not even sure why," he shared. "I'm sitting here with you. I am 80. I'm still at the table. And I'm telling you, I define gratitude."
Last December, Winkler appeared on the IMO With Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson podcast and explained that he thinks retirement is "deadly."
"People keep asking me, Am I gonna retire? Or ‘Have you retired?' And I think that is like the furthest thing from my imagination," the Happy Days legend said at the time. "I will retire when I am not able to do, again, more. You know, I just, I think that it is deadly."
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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 8:56 AM.